06/07/2026
Few issues have become so passionate, so fast in recent Pennsylvania history as data center development… and only one candidate for Governor has been consistent in HER position: Stacy Garrity.
Whether it was during her speech to the Pennsylvania Press Club in January, her speech to the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association in April, or this week on the campaign trail, Stacy Garrity has made it crystal clear that she stands with Pennsylvania ratepayers and local communities.
Josh Shapiro, on the other hand, has has been all over the map. A year ago, he was thumping his chest promoting a deal with Amazon that will bring massive data center facilities to Luzerne and Bucks counties – all while cashing a $100,000 check from a Kansas City-based developer involved in the deal. Now, as Pennsylvanians express their concerns loud and clear, Josh Shapiro has flip flopped and he hopes no one will notice.
Josh Shapiro was wrong!
This week, Stacy held her first of what will be many statewide listening sessions in Wilkes-Barre Township to discuss the impact of data center development in Pennsylvania. She has made her policies clear:
Transparency and clear rules of the road need to be instituted.
Data center development demands thoughtful planning that focuses on affordable, reliable power that ensures development goals do not infringe on the needs of local communities.
*Developers must bring their own water and energy generation.
*Community engagement agreements must be signed with developers.
*Ratepayers must be protected.
*Local communities need to be protected through responsible noise ordinances.
*Data center development restricted to industrial and brownfield sites, not residential areas.
And because of the confusion created by the Shapiro Administration’s “all-things-to-all-people” data center development policy, Stacy Garrity is now calling for a pause in data center development to give communities the opportunity to update zoning laws.